Team Herald
MARGAO: Terming the Sonsoddo garbage dump site cleaning work as illegal and hazardous, the United Goa Foundation (UGF) warned that the mud dumped from the site at Fatorda would create health hazard and urged the Goa State Pollution Control Board to step in to ensure the safety of Goans and survival of Goenkarponn.
Briefing media persons, the United Goa Foundation pointed out that the Goa State Infrastructure Development Corporation (GSIDC) in reply to an RTI application had revealed that the work was undertaken as an extension of the work being carried out at the Saligao plant.
Pointing out that there was no provision for extension of the work at Saligao, Ashish Kamat of UGF said that the so called extension was a fraud as no tenders were issued to carry out the work at Sonsodo which was an illegality.
He pointed out that tender for carrying out bioremediation of the garbage dump site at Sonsodo was even awarded earlier till the MMC raised some objections and argued that maybe the said contractor who had bagged this tender would have done the work at a lesser price.
Asserting that the work done at Sonsodo is not ‘bioremediation’, he said the company has not surveyed the garbage to check the presence of heavy metals whose presence has already been established by an earlier study undertaken.
Taking a dig at the TCP Minister Vijai Sardesai he said, “Should have protected Goenkar and Goenkarponn first.”
He said they would be writing to the Chief Secretary to stop payment to the company carrying out the work till the Goa State Pollution Control Board carries out the study and gives its report about the heavy metals and till the proper procedures are followed to award the work.
